


The Angel of the Forest

by areyoukiddingme



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood, F/M, Love Triangle, Romance, Vaguely Victorian, Vampires, who's a sucker for a
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-14 12:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4564827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/areyoukiddingme/pseuds/areyoukiddingme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A vampire who can remember everything about her past life but her name helps wayward travellers in the mysterious woodland and gets branded with the title 'the Angel of the Forest'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Prologue_

She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen; and so innocent, and naïve and... he couldn't kill her. So he tripped himself up, knowing that she probably wouldn't survive but did it anyway because it felt like it _helped_. After the clan had got their revenge for his 'mistake' they left him to rot by the side of the young woman whom he'd tried to save. Hearing her gasping breaths stirred him to move closer and hover over her, allowing his pain to fall into her mouth and grant her eternal life while he was left to die.

Transformation took only a few hours which he thought he might survive enough for her to help him in her new form. But she ran, not even glancing back at the man who had saved her life. Filled with hatred for both her and himself, he vowed to live and punish her for what she'd done no matter what happened. And so he lived and climbed up the ranks until he was designated leader and he could control the others, allowing him to live out his wildest fantasies before punishing the beautiful woman who just so happened to stumble into his path.

* * *

I sighed as I bent over another victim. They always got so hurt. And yet they kept coming.

I pulled my hood over my head to smother my face in shadow so they couldn't see my fangs should they awake and put my blue contact lenses in to disguise my red eyes. I licked at the victim's wound gently, shuddering slightly at the taste of fresh blood, before binding it using herbal remedies that worked every time. They did sting a little though, and the man underneath me jerked his head as I tended to his wounds. I made sure he was conscious before bending down and whispering into his ear 'where to, sir?'.

It was a sort of catchphrase of mine. There were seven villages surrounding this forest and even if the victim just mumbled which one it was it would make my job so much easier. Sometimes they didn't wake up and I was forced to smell my way to their house, which took hours and was exhausting besides. The man fortunately answered me and I scooped him up with ease, rushing him to his house and placing him gently on his bed in his room. I was just about to jump out of the window as he uttered a hoarse request.

"Please stay." He begged. "I have no-one."

I looked tentatively from the window to him as I bit my lip before sighing and settling down beside him. One day couldn't hurt.

"You'll stay?" He asked. I nodded and he promptly fainted, his head falling back on the pillow.

I built up the fire and prepared porridge for him for when he awoke and fetched a clean glass of water and set it by his bedside. Glancing furtively at the window, I decided that I couldn't leave without saying goodbye. It wouldn't be fair on the poor boy that just had a near-death experience.

Evening fell and he stirred in his bed.

"Are you still there?" He asked, not opening his eyes.

"Yes." I said softly. "Do you want-"

"Stay with me." He interrupted me, reaching a hand out and grasping the air until he found my arm. "Until morning. Please."

Then he fell unconscious again. I sighed. I was _not_ supposed to spend this much time around them. But I couldn't leave the pallid man's side and so waited until morning when he stirred again upon seeing the light streaming through the windows. He tried to sit up and immediately paled but didn't give up. I rushed to his side, feeding him water and the minute amount of porridge he could stomach. Then he reached out, curiously extending his fingers to tip back my hood. My heart hammered in my chest; I was fine, so long as I didn't talk.

"Your eyes." He said in awe. I had only realised this recently; blue contact lenses could not cover red eyes. So my eyes were a constant vibrant violet instead of the calming blue I had hoped for, but I liked it. It made me feel as though I was even further from their world.

"Why don't you show your face?" The man asked, staring at me avidly. I shouldn't have let him do this.

"You shouldn't ask questions." I thought I'd pulled up my hood in time but I obviously hadn't as he audibly gasped and pointed to my mouth in horror.

"Your teeth." He gasped.

"I have to go." I said, hurriedly getting up and travelling to the window. "You are well enough."

"Wait." He stopped me as I perched on the ledge. "Will I see you again?"

"Not if you're wise." I said sadly before hopping down, escaping from the man who had revealed my identity.

* * *

After that day, I wondered what I should have done. Perhaps I should have killed him as soon as he touched my hood. I could have lost my 'Angel of the Forest' status if everyone knew I too was a vampire. But I needn't have worried. From my investigations, the man hadn't spoken a word to anyone and so as the weeks passed I didn't worry anymore and I carried on doing my duty to the people.

* * *

I bent over another victim, this time a young girl, and my heart broke slightly at the ruthlessness of my ex-clan. I mentally wondered why they never finished them off. Perhaps they wanted to give me more business. Or more likely they liked the idea of the person slowly bleeding themselves to death on the forest floor, unable to do anything about it. A twig broke in the vicinity and I jumped up, hiding behind a large tree, my head roving to try and spot an intruder. I was always jumpy when healing just in case the clan returned and I did _not_ want to see any of them again, not after what happened.

But then from out behind a tree stepped a young man with dark hair and an elegant (highly impractical) suit who was looking directly at me. I could tell immediately that he wasn't human, what with his poise and red eyes, so I stepped out from my hiding place as it would be useless against him. He didn't appear to be part of the clan. There was no-one nearby and they always preferred to hunt together; it made it more like sport.

"The Angel of the Forest." He spoke slowly in a perfect British accent as he looked from me to my patient out-cold on the forest floor.

"And who are you?" I asked, not breaking eye-contact with the mysterious man.

"That doesn't matter." He stepped forward and I mirrored him, watching in interest as he reached forward over the victim and gripped my hand, pulling it to his lips and kissing it lightly.

"Why are you here?" I asked firmly. He didn't let go of my hand even as he pulled it away from his lips.

"I smelled blood."

"But she's almost drained-"

"Your blood." He corrected me and I started.

"But you're not supposed to be able to smell my blood." I said, my eyebrows knitting together as he lifted my hand again, leading my wrist under his nose. "It wouldn't help us at all if we could smell each other's blood."

"And yet here I am." He said flippantly, a smirk pulling at his lips and I blushed slightly, for what reason I didn't know.

I pulled back my hand just as the victim underneath me groaned. I gestured for the man to step back and I kneeled by the victim's head, asking her 'where to, miss?'. She breathed out a town name and the street so I picked her up and started taking her to her destination. I almost expected him to disappear to find some fresh blood somewhere, but then I saw him travelling beside me. I decided to ignore him as I performed my task, setting the girl down in her bed and making a large noise to summon who I presumed was her mother downstairs. I grabbed his sleeve and I hopped down from the windowsill, landing heavily on the ground before blending in with the crowds around me. He was still beside me and lowered his eyes in order to not attract attention as he followed my cloaked form.

"Why do you do this?" He muttered, only loud enough for me to hear.

I thought for a moment before turning suddenly into a small tavern and beckoning for him to follow me. It only took me a couple of moments of listening in to other people's conversations to find the one I was looking for.

"The man in the grey sweater." I told him, slipping into an inconspicuous seat and he sat down beside me. "Listen."

"- and then with a voice as sweet as honey she knelt down and whispered into my ear 'where to, sir?'"

A couple of people around the man gasped or grinned or nudged each other. He had attracted quite a crowd. I saw the scar on his neck, proudly exposed for everyone to see. Everyone showed off their scar if they survived to tell the tale, some of them not even wearing scarves in the winter in order to show them off.

"And she took me home, I don't know how. Maybe she uses magic-"

I smirked

"- or gets the birds to carry you way up into the sky and drop you into your room, for that's where I woke up. I only told her the village! That woman is a miracle-"

I gestured for us to leave and the man quickly stood up. I walked out of the tavern about down a quiet side road which I knew would lead quickly to the forest.

"Does that answer your question?" I asked, pulling back my hood and revealing my face for the first time to him. He stared for a couple of moments before shrugging lightly.

"In a way." He looked at me again. "You do it for the fame?"

"If that's what you want to believe."

"But what do you believe?" He asked earnestly, grabbing my upper arm.

"I..." I stumbled before smiling and shaking my head. "I shall tell you another time."

He accepted this, walking in silence beside me until we reached a spot familiar to me in the forest. The sun was beginning to set so I built up a fire, not that I needed it. There was just something about the sheer humanity of fire that I loved. Plus, I could see the man more clearly in the flickering light. He had proven himself to be trustworthy and I allowed myself to study his handsome features, letting my mind wonder to places it hadn't for many, many years.

"Are you part of a clan?" I asked him, my heart thumping in my chest as I awaited an answer. I'd never met another vampire without a clan before.

His eyes travelled suspiciously from side to side before he shook his head firmly.

"No. I was ostracised by my clan." He did not elaborate and I didn't ask him to, as I was reluctant to part with why I had been kicked out too.

"So you live here? In the forest?" He asked after a small pause as I shed my cloak to reveal my raggedy black dress. 

"Yes. When it's clear, like tonight, I enjoy climbing up the tallest tree and just look up at the stars." I smiled lightly, poking at the fire with a stick. "But when it's raining, I prefer to stay in my cabin." 

I pointed out a small shed that wasn't truly mine but it had been abandoned so I claimed it anyway because it was shelter and blended in so perfectly with the foliage that hardly anyone found it.

"What do you eat?" He asked curiously. This was turning into a little interrogation and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

"Animals, mainly. But every now and then I find a human too late, stone dead on the floor, and..." I trailed off, not having to explain myself to the man who knew perfectly well what I meant.

"That at least explains why I can smell your blood. It's the animal mixed in." He said, nodding at me and licking his lips slightly.

We sat in silence a while longer as twilight descended over us before he broke that peace.

"Can you tell me why you help them now?" He asked, shuffling closer to me. I was initially going to say no, but then I caught sight of his face. I couldn't refuse him. After all, he _was_ trustworthy.

"It was two years ago." I started softly, staring avidly into the fire. "I was travelling to the other village to deliver a package; I forget what was in it now. But then I realised something was behind me and then it started chasing me and I just remember running and running and running and this thing with hot breath was close behind me. I started to slow as I tired and so turned to see my assailant. I only remember the red eyes."

I looked up at the man who had flinched slightly but stared at the fire resolutely as I looked up.

"But then something happened. The vampire tripped. It was unheard of, a vampire making a mistake and so I knew they had done it for me, to help me escape. A little shred of humanity from a monster. Of course the clan caught up with me soon afterwards, but I think that's why I'm different. Because I was shown some humanity before I changed."

I stopped talking and looked up at he was staring at the fire as if he had something to hide. I bit my lip, wondering if I had given away too much when he spoke up.

"You have to drink a vampire's blood in order to change." He said and my mind reeled at the information. _How did I not know that?_

"What?"

"There must be an exchanging of blood for you to become immortal." He said, now locking eyes with me instead of shying away. "I was the one."

"The one what?" I asked, almost shaking as I thought about what he was going to reveal to me.

"I tripped and delayed your death." He took off his suit jacket, and started unbuttoning his shirt as I watched in nervous excitement. "My clan knew what I'd done and punished me."

He pulled back his shirt and revealed his chest which I was more than ready to ogle at until I saw the jagged scar that ran across the length of it and my blood ran cold. Even for a vampire, that would hurt.

"I fed you my blood so that you may live."

"I've never met a vampire like you before." I said, shaking my head as he put his clothes back on. "You actually have a head instead of a blood-filled lust for anything that moves. I'm impressed."

He smirked, slipping closer to me so that he was now mere inches away.

"I have been meaning to ask you, may I- may I taste you?" He asked earnestly and I was slightly shocked; a taste could mean anything from a light peck on the cheek to full-on foreplay depending on the people and the attraction, so it was about to get hot on my side.

I nodded abstractedly and he gently took hold of my wrist, pulling it towards his mouth. My chest heaved as I felt the sharp points of his teeth press against my skin; I had never done it before, although I had seen others do it. He looked up, as if asking my visual consent before his fangs sunk with ease into my flesh and I gasped. It was an odd feeling, being drunk from, but it was nothing short of pleasurable. Unfortunately it was over as quickly as it had begun, the man removing his teeth and pressing his tongue firmly to the wound to stem the bleeding.

"T-That was new." I stuttered, nervously giggling as he looked up at me with fire burning behind his eyes.

He dropped my wrist to thread his hand through my hair, pulling me towards him and pressing my lips feverishly against his, our teeth clashing as we kissed passionately. His hand grasped eagerly at my waist as he pulled me closer, begging for affection until we settled into something slower and more gentile as the night crept on.

* * *

I started as a twig snapped in the vicinity; the fire had long since gone out as we didn't need it any more, what with the sun risen and he protested as I moved from my position.

"What is it?" He whispered, as he could tell from my face that I was suspicious of something.

"It's him." I said shortly after smelling the air, pulling up my dress strap and making sure I looked presentable as I stood up.

"Him? Who's him?" The man asked peevishly, attempting to follow me. I placed a hand to his chest, stopping him, before kissing him lazily.

"Stay here. I shan't be long." I assured him.

I followed the sounds of walking which incidentally led to right in front of my cabin until I finally spotted the young man I had saved before. He looked a lot healthier than when I last saw him, his blonde hair shining in the sun and his eyes sparkling as if he were... well, alive.

"I told you not to search for me." I said and he jumped, almost falling to the forest floor in his surprise. He recovered quickly, squaring his shoulders and looking at me with such admiration that it was painful to look at.

"You are slightly scarier without your purple eyes." He said jovially, inhaling every aspect of my character sans hood.

"I am a creature that was made to be scary." I said, returning none of his jest and he looked disappointed.

"I had to see you again."

"No you didn't." I said softly, leaning back on a large tree trunk. "It's not safe here. Apparently it's worse the second time." I told him, gesturing to the scar on his neck which he rubbed absently as I pointed it out.

"I don't ca- Who's that?" He asked suddenly and I turned to see the man emerge. I cursed him under my breath; this was even more I couldn't explain.

"He's... a friend." I said vaguely, waving at him. "Don't worry about him."

"W-what I mean to say, is I want to find out more." Said the human, continuing the conversation from before as if I hadn't said a word. "I want to find out who you are and why you do this, how you live and...'.

He trailed off as if looking for something to say and I interrupted him before he could do so.

"You will not find out any of that." I told him gently. "It is not safe for you. Go home, find yourself a wife and forget about me. You will thank yourself in the long run."

Realising that he was getting nothing from me, the young man sighed, looking utterly put-out.

"May I at least know one thing?" He asked, stepping closer.

"You may." I said shortly.

"What is your name?"

I panicked at this.

"Even he does not now my name." I stammered, my heart beating wildly as I surreptitiously scanned the forest.

"Even?" The man asked curiously, so I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Tell me yours first."

A delaying tactic.

"Steven Mayhue." What a terribly _human_ name. "And yours?" He asked, growing impatient.

"Ivy." I blurted out. He seemed satisfied, taking my hand and kissing it, all the while nervously eying the man out of the corner of his eye.

"'Till we meet again, Ivy." Steven nodded before walking briskly away.

I bit my lip nervously as I felt long fingers trailing up my spine and I shuddered against them.

"Is that truly your name?" The man breathed next to my ear.

"I have a confession to make." I said, looking back at his amused face. "Okay, _another_ confession. I cannot remember my name. I can remember every aspect of my previous life, but I cannot remember such a simple thing as my name. Is that odd?"

"Not at all." He assured me, kissing my neck lightly. "Transformation can do many things to a person, especially effect their memory. But I rather like 'Ivy'."

"It is pretty, isn't it?" I said, staring at the leaves which had given me the idea. Then my head jerked up and I was suddenly alert.

"I've got another patient." I said, immediately turning to my supplies. A flash of anger crossed his face which I couldn't explain so I ignored it, turning to put in my contact lenses. Maybe he was hungry.

"Yes, and I have... another commitment." He said vaguely, and I knew he was going to feed. He had a marvellous way of making everything romantic and not seem real at all.

"I'll see you soon." I said, more of a question than a statement, and he nodded.

"Very soon."


	2. Chapter 2

I walked back to my cabin, idly sucking blood off of my fingers as I returned home after another successful rescue. I heard something move behind me and I was just about to turn as a bag was thrust over my head and the world was plunged in darkness. I struggled wildly, but they were strong, obviously vampires too otherwise I'd have been able to overthrow them easily.

They led me a short distance before sitting me down roughly in something that felt far too delicate for the forest floor and whipped the bag off of my head, revealing a whole throng of vampires, some of whom I recognized immediately. My old clan. They were all clamouring and hissing and I had to resist the urge to hiss back, obey my primal instincts. I was better than that. But then someone stepped forward and I blanched. The man. He was with them the whole time, manipulating me while he was working with those creatures behind my back. It took a couple of moments to sink in before my anger flared up again.

"You told me you didn't have a clan, you lying, manipulative ba-" I was cut off by him placing a finger against my lips. I snarled at him making such a bold move after what he'd done and I attempted to bite the finger but he was too quick, unfortunately. I would have loved to see him bleed in that moment.

"You were lying." I breathed, my lower lip trembling with an overwhelming mixture of anger and sadness.

"Oh no, _I am the one_ , my dear." He said, his eyes wide and innocent as he repeated his words from before. The vampires around him snickered and a weight sunk in my belly.

"Not that too." I begged but his eyes related none of the warmth, the passion from before, only a dull coldness that masked any of his true feelings.

"How dare you." I spat. "I trusted you.â€�

My voice cracked slightly and I winced as he stepped forward, placing his hand on the back of my head. His knee slipped next to my waist and I hissed, hating the familiarity he was using and what it meant. I struggled for all I was worth but the thing binding my hands behind my back was strong and vampire-proof. I considered breaking the chair, but I couldn't out-run all of those vampires and I did not want to see the dangerous side of him. So I merely stayed under his touch, hating that it still gave me goose bumps as his hands ran over my shoulders. I had to get over him. He was a traitor.

"I have a little... proposition for you." He said softly, staring at me as if I were an animal in a zoo rather than a woman he had tenderly kissed just hours before.

"Stop helping the humans."

"What? No!" I cried in outrage. "You of all people know what it means to me. Now let me go."

I struggled and his grip on my hair tightened, freezing me in place.

"You will obey. Or there will be severe consequences." He muttered next to my ear and I tried to keep a level head. Ignore his beautiful voice, skilled hands, handsome face.

"I would have thought that what I do is good for you and your... people." I grimaced, looking back at the clan who were jostling to get a look at the action. "I heal them, making them unafraid of the forest and keep them coming back."

"Nevertheless, you give us a bad name-"

"You, a bad name?" I interrupted, laughing. "Murderers? Oh, I wonder why."

"I want you to stop." He growled.

"Never." I said defiantly, sticking my chin out.

"Very well." He sighed, but it sounded as though he was very much enjoying it. He crossed around the back of me, painstakingly untying my hands before spreading my arms out wide and pressing his lower chest against my head.

"She smells rather good, doesn't she?" My heart stuttered as three vampires stepped forward, one placing themselves near my left hand, another by my right and the last climbing on top of me on the chair, his knees pressing into my sides as he looked at me with demonic cruelness, a look that most vampires seemed to own on a general basis.

My limbs secure, he let go of my arms and instead wrenched my head back, exposing my neck and making me gasp.

"And beautiful too" He whispered lustfully. "Don't you wish you could just... eat her up?"

It was getting hard to tell whether he was lying or not; did he truly want me or was I just an insignificant pawn in his little game?

"Last chance." He whispered next to my ear, making goose bumps appear on my neck as I squirmed away from him.

"No." I said softly, shaking my head. "Not for anything."

He must have made some kind of signal behind me because the three vampires simultaneously leaned forward and sunk their teeth into my flesh. My whole body convulsed and I cried out, trying desperately to pull away, but to no avail. This was nowhere near pleasurable. I kept shuddering, tears streaming down my face and he kept a tight hold on my hair, using the other hand to play idly with the back of my neck, which wasn't helping in the slightest.

I began to get lighted-headed (which is understandable, being drained from three areas) and my eyelids drooped. He noticed this, commanding the vampires to stop and let me go. It was a blessed relief for the fangs to leave, but it didn't make me feel any better. I still felt woozy, using him as a support until he pushed me roughly to the forest floor. I moaned and tried to stand upright, my limbs shaking and my brain foggy. He forced me back down by the small of my back and I was so weak that I stayed down.

"Stop helping them." He ordered, pulling my head uncomfortably back so I looked at him in my last moments of consciousness.

"No." I gasped out, but I could feel my resolve crumbling.

"I said, stop helping them." He growled, pressing his foot firmly against the wound on my wrist, making me twist and hiss in pain.

"O-okay. You win." I cried out, energy seeping with every second. The other vampires cheered while he kneeled down beside me. With the last ounces of my strength, I reached up and grabbed his collar, pulling him closer.

"I hope you're happy." I said softly and I could've sworn that that softness was back in his face while his back was turned from his comrades, his body yearning to help me while I could barely help myself. But I promptly fainted seconds after my outburst, so it could have all been my imagination. Wishful thinking in dark times.

* * *

 

Over the next day or so I drifted in and out of consciousness, not aware of anything around me. I was sure I was going to die, until I got enough strength to get up on all fours and wearily hunted some easy prey; perhaps it was a deer. My other senses were shattered but my sense of smell still seemed to work so I followed it avidly and it led me to fresh blood which lifted my spirits slightly and although it didn't immediately make me feel better, I hoped it would a bit later on.

I kept true to my word; I smelt two patients and although my body kept twitching for me to help them I stayed curled up in a small ball, waiting for the smell of blood to disappear. I kept hunting until I got my strength back, which only made smelling the patients even more painful. I couldn't help them, or that would happen again. I lifted my arm to the light, noting that the wound was healing but hadn't disappeared yet. Both wrists had two puncture marks surrounded by ugly purple bruising because I wasn't prepared, comfortable (or even turned on) at the point of incision. I hadn't checked my neck but I was sure it was just as bad.

After roughly a week had passed, I was rocking gently as I heard a branch snap and I shot upwards, thinking it was the vampires. As I peered around a tree, however, I saw it was only the blonde man from before, looking healthy as ever as his eyes darted around, clearly looking for me.

"You should leave." I warned eerily, but he recognized my voice and only smiled upon hearing it.

"Ivy?" He asked, peering around, but I refused to step out from behind the tree.

"You shouldn't be here. The forest is more dangerous than ever now."

"But that's why I'm here, you see." He said, his face breaking into a smile as easily as turning on a switch, and I envied him for that. "There have been two people reported missing. Didn't you help them?"

"I can't." I gasped, stepping out from behind the tree. Steven stepped back in horror, staring at me with wide eyes; I was worse than I thought.

"You look terrible." He said tactlessly. Before, I didn't think that vampires could look terrible. But now there was proof with the dark circles under my eyes, mussed hair and vicious wounds scattered over my body.

"I know." I muttered, my body slumping against a tree.

"Goodness!" He exclaimed, stepping forward to support me but flinched back as he reached for my hand.

"You're wounded." He said, reaching out for my wrist. "Who did this to you?"

"The man who you saw me with before. He fed me lies until I was forced to stop doing what gives me purpose in life. He told me he didn't have a clan." I pieced together random information that probably didn't make sense to him as he softly touched the wounds on my wrists and on my neck.

"I knew he wasn't trustworthy." He assured me, taking my hand in his. "Let's take him on. Come on, fight him and his little army."

"What, you?" I asked in amusement.

"And you too." He said with such naÃ¯ve eagerness that I burst out laughing. I had not laughed for weeks so it felt good to let go a little, even if it sounded slightly hysterical.

"I-I cannot beat one of these creatures, let alone a clan." I said in-between giggles. It died down eventually and I looked at Steven who was staring at me avidly with a small smile on his face.

"You look a lot better now." He commented softly. I only smiled back, averting my eyes until I realised that he was leaning closer to me and I panicked. A vampire and a human. Not a good idea.

"Listen, I- What was that?" I asked suddenly, my head jerking at the sound. The sound of soft, sneaking footsteps.

"I didn't hear anything." Steven whispered.

"Run." I muttered, frozen in place.

"Run!" I repeated but he still looked confused so I sighed and scooped him up in the same way in which I'd saved him, running towards the nearest village as fast as my legs could carry me.

But then I felt a presence behind me and I knew the vampires were pursuing. I clung him tighter to me, beads of perspiration collecting on my forehead as I ran faster than I'd ever ran before when there was a tugging from the weight in my arms. Steven cried out, trying to shake the vampire's hand off of his foot. I hissed but they didn't let go, suddenly jerking it back so the man was pulled from my grip and another vampire simultaneously tripped me up, making me fall to the ground, hard.

I tried to scramble back up but something pressed to my chest; upon further inspection, it was a shoe attached to a tall, dark, brooding character. I struggled but it was like being held down by a lead pole so I gave up eventually, spreading my arms wide in surrender and watching in horror as they took Steven, pulling his hands behind him and wrenching his head back so I could only see his neck and the jugular vein frantically pulsing underneath his skin.

"Thought you'd disobey me, did you?" The man asked rhetorically, stepping his foot off of my chest and instead moving towards Steven like the predator he was.

"Don't you dare touch him." I threatened, my voice surprisingly steady as I wasn't yet brave enough to bring myself off of the floor. He paused in his tracks, his hand reaching out to drag his nails over Steven's neck as Steven struggled to get away from the invasion.

"Tell you what." He said softly, turning to look at me, his eyes glinting. "I'll give you a choice. Him or me."

"What?" I asked him, confused.

"If you choose him, he dies. If you choose me, I'll let him walk free." He spoke as though he'd made up this game on the spot. I looked at the fierce beauty of the vampire, then at the terrified image of Steven and then back to him.

"How can I trust you?" I asked warily. He walked over to me, helping me up and dusting the foot print off of my front.

"You can't." He said flippantly. I made a pained expression towards Steven and as I did so I could have sworn there was some softness in his features. Deep down, he truly could care for me. Or it could all just be an act. Could I sell myself to him for just one flimsy human life?

"I'm going to need your answer." He taunted, stepping towards Steven. I stared as he leaned down, dithering all the way up until his fangs were touching Steven's neck.

"Okay." I cried out. "You win. I pick you."

"Can't bear to see your little pet die?" He smirked, looking back at me.

"I can't bear to see anyone die. Least of all by your hands." I assured him.

He staggered back, cursing me under his breath as I reminded him of what I remembered him to be.

"Let him go." He growled at his cronies and Steven was released, looking pale and shaken from the recent occurrences.

"I want to make sure he's safe." I spoke sharply while staring at the vampire, letting him know that I still didn't trust him. He stepped back graciously, letting me lead Steven safely out of the forest and back to his village.

"I don't want you to come back any more. I don't want to have to face that decision again." I murmured, my jaw clenched.

"But he-"

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." I smiled, putting on a brave face as I saw the town border approaching. "I'll let you know when the forest is safe again. But until then, I want you to stay out of here. Do you promise?" I asked desperately and he nodded his head, resigned.

I was just about to turn away when Steven lurched forward, pressing his lips against mine in a chaste manner. I didn't object, I let him have this brief moment. I believe it was all he'd wanted for several months. When he released me, I smiled softly, touching his cheek lightly before vanishing back into the forest where those vampire heathens were waiting for me. 

* * *

 

I sat in the crude camp which the vampires had set up, every one of them staring at me hungrily as I tried to ignore them. He hadn't made any arrangements for me to be restrained or tortured, which surprised me. I expected him to make a bigger fuss after the weighty 'decision' I made allowed him to own the valued prize he coveted after. But he was merely skulking with the rest of them, eventually wondering away from the crowd. Curious, I managed to escape the clan without drawing too much attention to myself, following the mysterious man who wanted me so desperately but didn't know what to do with me once he had me.

He stood overlooking a river which neither of us needed to drink from any more, his suit jacket discarded and his shirt straining against his shoulder blade as he reached up for an overhead branch, staring into the depths of the water.

"I wasn't lying, you know." He spoke softly and I started, not realising he knew I was there.

"Pardon?"

"I wasn't lying." He repeated, dragging a hand over his face.

It took me a couple of moments to imagine what he was talking about, and when I finally realised, he was directly in front of me.

"But then you-"

"Yeah."

"... then why are you doing this to me?" I asked, confused.

"You didn't help." He said, a little dazed as he broke eye contact with me. "I was dying, or I thought I was, thanks to those brutes and I changed you. I thought I would survive long enough for you to transform and help me. But then you did. And you just ran away."

I was horrified at both myself and this man's extreme reactions to circumstance. While I struggled for something to say, he looked disheartened and turned to gaze into the river again.

"You know I wouldn't do that to you, not purposefully. Look at me." I spoke desperately, taking his chin in my fingers and leading his face to mine. "You know who I am and what I do. How could you pitch something like this against me?"

"I keep trying to hurt you."

"Well you have. Are you happy?" I asked sharply.

He shook his head, clenching his jaw as he stared demurely into the water.

"I thought I wanted revenge. But now I have it, I can't..." He trailed off, refusing my gaze.

"Maybe you picked the wrong person to fight." I said softly but the hard edge was still in my voice as I hadn't forgiven him just yet. He turned to me curiously.

"What?"

"Maybe I'm not the enemy you're looking for. Maybe the enemy lies in those 'brutes' over there." I watched his reaction evenly. I was pleasantly surprised when he looked at his clan then back at me with a chaotic glint in his eye.

"Are you asking me to betray my clan?" He asked, a lilt in his voice and his eyebrow arched.

"I'm asking you if _you_  want to betray your clan." I responded mock-innocently before stepping closer to him.

"Listen, if you have any ounce of respect for me or if you are even aware of the concept of repentance then you will help me drive them out." I said, suddenly serious. "They don't have to live here. And you don't have to follow them."

"And what of us?" He emulated my seriousness, his jaw clenched and features expressionless.

"I know there's good in you. And if you can show this to me... you may still have a chance to redeem yourself in my eyes."

I thought myself to be exceptionally forgiving, more so than I anticipated, but with him right in front of me it was hard to remember what was so bad about him. He seemed to agree, speechless as he reached up, cupping a hand to my face as I unintentionally relaxed into it. I utterly forgot all of his past transgressions as he leaned forward, capturing my lips in his. It was easy to remember him as the man I met first and so kissed him back fiercely, as if all of the time we had spent apart as lovers was simply inconvenience instead of betrayal. I felt him smirk slightly into the kiss before he pulled back, grinning fully, fire in his eyes. "Let's go hunt some vampires then."

* * *

The next couple of hours were a bit of a blur, to be honest. There was a lot of lashing out. Fighting. Absolutely no arguing; I have a feeling those creatures couldn't even put together a logical string of sentences. He tried to be civil at first, which had an almost comic quality, until they sensed something was up and fought back. But the fighting was over now. And he and I were standing side-by-side next to the wreckage of the camp.

"They won't come back soon." He smirked, licking blood absently off of his fingers.

"I should hope not. Are you sure they won't come back?"

"Why should they? It's dangerous now and the meals won't be free. They'll be perfectly happy to terrorize another village."

"But what if they do?"

"Then we'll have to fight. And fight we will in order to keep our forest."

Our forest. He passed over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. I had a sudden realisation, stepping away from him again.

"Do I look alright?"

"... Yes. You look perfectly stunning."

"Truthfully. Do I look hurt?"

"Only slightly." He pulled my ripped sleeve back to its original place before making move that made me think he was going to kiss my hand, when in reality he merely licked off scattered drops of blood that still marred my skin.

"There. You can hardly tell."

I nodded before turning from him, using my nose to direct me to where I wanted to go.

"Wait, where are you going?" He called before trotting to catch up with me.

"I'm going to visit an old friend." 

* * *

 

I peered in the window, careful not be observed as I saw Steven pacing the floor of his room. I'm going to be honest; he looked awful. I motioned for the vampire to quiet down as he kept asking me questions.

"Look, I don't want him to see you, understand?" I hissed. "If he sees me with you, you'll be a permanent enemy in his eyes. He'll think he's lost. Whereas if I tell him I'm leaving then it's my choice. It'll still hurt him, but he won't be consumed by it. So just don't barge in, will you?"

I finished before hopping lightly onto Steven's windowsill.

"Ivy." He gasped after noticing me, looking like he didn't quite believe his eyes.

"Steven, the forest is safe. I came to tell you this but also to tell you that I'm leaving."

"No." He interrupted. I continued as if nothing had been said.

"This place holds too many painful memories, I wish for a fresh start. So don't come after me any more Steven, I'm no good for you. Find yourself a wife who loves you. As your angel, I'll watch over you both." I smiled lightly and he smiled tearfully back.

"So I won't see you again?"

"I'm afraid not. But don't torment yourself with this fact; It was fun while it lasted."

"Yes." Steven spoke softly and I was just about to hop away when he piped up again. "Thank you for saving my life. More times than I probably realise."

"It was my pleasure. You deserve to live, darling Steven." I smiled fully before jumping down from the sill. He rushed towards the window and looked out, as I expected his would, so I pushed the vampire back against the wall and pressed myself to it too. Eventually Steven moved back and we were able to safely head back to our forest. Our forest.

* * *

 

_Epilogue_

Steven sat at his desk overlooking the forest. His little one pulled at the hem of his shirt but he was entranced, remembering the time he spent with Ivy and the vampires who almost killed him. His wife bustled through the door, smiling at him absently as she pulled the little one away and scooped them into her arms.

"What's wrong?" She asked, looking out of the window towards where he was looking.

"Nothing." He shook his head decisively before standing up and kissing his wife idly.

He'd moved on, truly. But he didn't ever forget her; in fact, every now and then there would be a disappearance in the forest reported in the local newspaper. Then the next morning there were articles explaining how the very person was found in their own bed with scars on their neck. And Steven just knew that this was the work of his Angel of the Forest.

 


End file.
